More people are now applying for emergency cash help as the number of benefit sanctions go up.
New figures show there’s been a rise in the number of people claiming DWP hardship payments. The increase follows a spike in benefit sanctions, forcing many claimants to request emergency funds to cover essential costs.
According to OpenDemocracy, the DWP made a total of 74,200 hardship payments in the first five months of 2022. During the same period of 2019, 40,400 such payments were issued - amounting to an increase of more than 80% in three years, reports Birmingham Live.
